FBI: Middle Eastern Men Reportedly Harassing Military Families In Wyoming and Colorado

On August 4, CBS Denver (KCNC-TV) reported that the FBI has issued a warning to law enforcement agencies in Wyoming and Colorado concerning Middle Eastern men who may be harassing military families in those states. The news station reported an incident in May where two men matching the profile accosted a woman outside her home, accusing her husband of being an interrogator. When she denied the claims, the men laughed and drove off in a “dark-colored, four-door sedan.” Similar incidents have been occurring in Wyoming throughout June as well.

The FBI isn’t commenting on these reported incidents, but Colorado’s Department of Homeland Security says they’re aware of the alert (via Denver Post):

We are aware of it," said Nathan Hunerwadel, spokesman for the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

Hunerwadel referred further inquiries to federal officials.

The alert, first reported by KCNC-TV on Tuesday night, specifically references instances in Greeley and Cheyenne, Wyo., according to the television station. It warns of "numerous occasions" where military family members were confronted by Middle Eastern men outside their homes, the station reports.

[…]

The FBI's Denver office declined to comment on the alert or provide a copy to The Denver Post.

"We are unable to provide any information on the authenticity or contents of the alert and I cannot provide anything to you," said Special Agent Amy Sanders, an FBI Denver spokeswoman. "Our standard practice is to neither confirm nor deny investigations or comment on alerts of this nature."

[…]

U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., issued a statement Wednesday in response to the KCNC report.

"I am alarmed by reports out of Denver that military members' families have been harassed outside their homes and may be under surveillance," Gardner said in a statement. "This news comes less than two weeks after FBI Director James Comey, speaking in Denver, warned of the heightened threat from the Islamic State that Colorado specifically faces"

Gardner said his office is "in contact with the appropriate officials."

Let’s hope these incidents are resolved quickly. To the military families in those states, stay safe out there.